Why should I participate in this session?
There are hundreds of scientific articles that report numerous benefits of mindfulness practices across a broad variety of domains, including improvements in anxiety, depression, chronic pain, well-being, emotion regulation, and many other areas. Note that we refer largely to mindfulness-based practices (implementation of or variations on Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy). Beyond that, mindfulness practice has the potential to lead to profound transformations in the way that you relate to and indeed experience, your experience.
However, mindfulness is not relaxation and while it is simple, it is not an easy practice. It is not a thing that you do, it is a way of being with yourself and your world. Try to let go of your expectations for how the practice will be or what you will experience and give yourself permission to just experience whatever arises. That does not mean you will resign if the experience is bad, unpleasant, or seriously negative but it does mean that you put aside, just for a short while, all your roles, identities, and obligations. Think of it as you might a weary traveller who puts down their bags to rest. We invite you to put down the “baggage” of all your roles, expectations, tasks, responsibilities, whether defined by you or others, for the time that you are practicing.
When the practice is over, you can (and in some cases, probably should) pick “the bags” back up. For the period that you are in the session, know that you needn’t do anything or be anywhere other than you are. You just need to be.
Less is known, within a scientific and health framework, about the broader array of meditation practices, though variations on these practices have been used for centuries towards varying goals, including health, wellbeing, and spiritual growth. While we make no promises about what you will learn as a result guided practice, we do hope you will gain some insight into yourself, new ways of thinking about the world, and possibly make take some steps towards identifying and/or refining your sense of meaning and purpose.
What should I consider before participating in this session?
Meditation practice is not for everyone.
While meditation practices can be profoundly helpful for some, they are not universally beneficial. Not only do some people dislike it but some people actually see a worsening of existing problems or the emergence of entirely new problems. Estimates of negative events seem to range from around 5% (more serious) to as many as 50% (broader definition of discomfort, distress, etc.) of people, depending on how you define them. Among the more common experiences, they are not necessarily understood by the individuals who have them as bad, however, they are worth knowing about. These problems are varied and we encourage you to carefully think about them before starting any mindfulness and/or meditation practice.
Most importantly, meditation practice is not a substitute for medical care. If you are experiencing any of the following, we discourage you from participating in this session:
- Active or recent physical addiction to alcohol or other drugs
- Current depression
- Suicidality
- Psychosis
- History of unexplored/untreated trauma or Post-traumatic stress disorder
If you are experiencing any of these things, you should seek help from qualified medical professionals, including those available through:
- Lifeline: 13 11 14
- Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
The Guided Meditation Terms and Conditions contain further important health and medical information and obligations you must agree to before enrolling to participate in this session.
Below is a diagram* that lists some benefits and drawbacks for you to consider.
*Anderson et al. (2019). Journal of Cognitive Enhancement.